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An Australian tourist hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru has died after falling down a ravine, according to state-owned online news agency Andina.<\/p>\n
Cusco Police Region Chief General Virgilio Velasquez said the man, named as Matthew Cameron Paton, 53, had tripped and fallen up to 400 metres on Wednesday afternoon (Lima time) while walking with a group of tourists and a guide.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2be1d607b52d2ecae2d07e5958067c059cef84ad.jpeg\")
The body of the Australian man was found in an abyss along the Inca Trail on Thursday afternoon (Lima time). TVPer\u00fa Noticias \/Youtube![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5cebb63efd32adce58ecc48b7556e6be590b1685.jpeg\")
The Inca ruins of the lost city Machu Picchu.Getty Images\/iStockphoto<\/p>\n
Andina reported that the body of Paton, who is believed to have worked as an instructor with Victoria Police, had been found in an abyss along the trail by members of Cusco\u2019s High Mountain Rescue Unit (USAM) on Thursday afternoon (Lima time).<\/p>\n
The area was difficult to access and TVPeru Noticias reported there was no telephone signal and only radio communications.<\/p>\n
Velasquez said Patron and his wife arrived in the city 12 days ago and headed to the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu from Ollantaytambo district, a four-day journey.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2d6549f87779a729d40e5bda31150c7d2f7b7f7a.jpeg\")
The area was difficult to access, with no telephone signal. TVPer\u00fa Noticias\/Youtube<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have information indicating that he apparently tripped while crossing a wooden bridge, and he likely tried to hold on to the wooden railing, but it gave way and he slipped into the abyss along with it. Unfortunately, he fell down the ravine,\u201d Velasquez reportedly told Andina.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for The Police Association of Victoria (TPAV) said it was \u201cshocked and saddened by the loss of one of our members in a tragic accident overseas\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cMatt\u2019s contribution to policing, through both his role in training police and as a TPAV assistant delegate, was representative of the care and concern he had for his colleagues and his want to give back to policing,\u201d the spokesperson said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve offered our heartfelt condolences to Matt\u2019s family and our welfare team is working with Victoria Police to provide them support.\u201d<\/p>\n
Local authorities said they would investigate the circumstances surrounding the fall.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
They were waiting for the body to be recovered so it could be transferred to Machu Picchu Pueblo, the town at the base of the 15th-century Inca citadel, and then to the city of Urubamba, police said.<\/p>\n
Australia\u2019s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has been contacted for comment.<\/p>\n
The Inca Trail is a 43-kilometre trek through the Andes along a pathway cut by ancient Incans, finishing at the iconic Incan ruins of Machu Picchu.<\/p>\n
More to come<\/p>\n
Staff reporter<\/p>\n
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